BHS varsity teams split at Paola; JV boys rally to victory

Paola  It was a split decision here Tuesday night with the Baldwin High School varsity basketball teams.

The BHS boys defeated the Panthers 62-43, while the girls were defeated 61-51. Both BHS teams had previously beaten Paola at home Jan. 11.

For the first half, the boys' team was in a battle with Paola as it only led 27-23 at halftime. In the third quarter, the Bulldogs opened the game up and took control of the contest.

"I thought we played very well tonight," BHS boys' coach Eric Toot said. "We came in on the road and got a big win. I thought we played efficient in the first half, but they just came in and made some tough shots. In the third quarter, we were able to pull away once they started missing a little bit."

Three Bulldogs scored in double figures for the contest. Senior Drew Berg led Baldwin with 16 points. Junior Clad Kueffer and freshman Justin Vander Tuig each chipped in 11.

"Our kids are really starting to play well on the offensive end," Toot said. "We are playing with a lot more movement and conviction as far as getting to our spots. The kids are being really aggressive and looking for their shot, which always helps."

The BHS girls were productive offensively in the first quarter. The Bulldogs jumped out to a 21-13 lead in the opening quarter. They still led at halftime 28-26, but were outscored 18-9 in the third quarter.

"We shot really well in the first half, but then we went scoreless for about the first four minutes of the third quarter," BHS girls' coach Bob Martin said. "We just struggled offensively in the second half. We also weren't shutting them down defensively, so it got to a point where we had to outscore them. We just couldn't match them."

Senior Colby Heckathorne led the way with a game-high 17 points. Junior Tracie Weege added 13, while senior Callie Craig chipped in nine points. The Bulldogs sank eight three-pointers as a team.

The girls were hoping to gain some momentum after Friday's win over Louisburg, but Martin said the team just came out flat after halftime.

"We were hoping to build on that win," Martin said. "I knew it was going to be a tough game, because they are a good team. I think we were more flat than Friday. It wasn't our best performance tonight, but the kids gave a great effort all night."

In other news from Tuesday, the junior varsity boys' team came back from a 14-point halftime deficit to beat Paola 52-51.

Sophomore Brandon Kraus hit the game-winning shot with three seconds left in the game. He led the way for BHS with 14 points. Junior Logan Schiller added 13.

All of the BHS teams will be busy during the next week. BHS travels to Spring Hill Friday with action beginning at 4:30 p.m. Then Baldwin will host Kansas City Turner Saturday with the first games starting at 2 p.m. On Tuesday, the Bulldogs all travel to Atchison and begin play at 4 p.m.

"This is a good time of the year," Toot said. "We've got two more games this week and four in the next week-and-a-half. Then it's playoff time, so this is a fun time of the year for the kids."